Was: Cheapest Source for WR paint. Now: How about this instead of WR...

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GRWeldon

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So I've never painted a car before, but I think I am probably capable of producing an adequate (not perfect or without flaw) job if I give it a go. The victim would be my 96 Thunderbird with, unfortunately for me, a WR paint code, which according to everything I can find is Performance White Pearl Metallic, which would match with the color of the car! I wouldn't mind just painting it straight white but I don't think I want to put any effort in to painting jambs and recesses to match. It might come down to that in the end, but I'm not starting there for the moment. The replies I get to this post may change my strategy.

I've been looking for paint to use to match the paint job on the car. I've found it at Eastwood and that's the only place. With the paint required for the steps in the shopping cart (unreduced paint, undercoat [not sure why I need that], reducer and clear coat, the price was between $1600-$1700. Firstly, that is right around the total amount of $ I have in the car since I bought it. You may be familiar with the phrase "If you put lipstick on a pig, in the end you still just have a pig." or however you have heard it.

I could get some decent quality white tractor paint or industrial enamel and paint it with that, but again, then I have to prep all the jambs, the trunk recess, under the hood and paint the underside of the trunk and hood and whatever else comes with changing the color of the car. Does anybody know of a source for cheaper paint or maybe a single-step paint that closely matches the WR paint code. I can spend maybe up to $500 for painting supplies but i can't spend $1700, not at this point. Any suggestions?
 
Ok, there’s quite a bit to address here. Most cars are painted in what is called base-clear, or basecoat clearcoat paint. The way it works is you have one paint which is the color, and any metallic, then you have a clearcoat that goes overtop to give it the shine and the UV protection. This is pretty forgiving when painting because once you have enough paint on there to cover everything, the color doesn’t change with more paint, and if you mess something up, it is easier to fix before the clearcoat is applied, and if you do get a run or sag in the clearcoat, it can usually be fixed with just wet-sanding and buffing, and possibly re-clearing the panel, however it will not require starting over again. Unfortunately, that is not what you have. Your paint code is called a tri-coat or 3-stage paint. That means you have still have the base coat and clear coat, however between them you have another paint that is sort of translucent and has the pearl it in which gives it that deep pearl look. The problem is that how much of the pearl is applied changes the color of the final job, so if you have to repaint any panels, trying to get a color match is very difficult, and even painting the car if you don’t keep your spray pattern ultra-consistent, you will wind up with a splotchy mismatch of how pearlescent different parts of the car look. This is not to say it is inordinately difficult to do, but your first paint job should most definitely NOT be a 3-stage!

As for what paint to use, PPG’s Omni line is a lower end paint that is reasonably priced, but fairly easy to spray and turns out good results. I haven’t sprayed a whole car in some time, so I don’t know what the price would be for everything, but suffice it to say if you can only spend $500 on supplies, then you can’t afford to paint your car at all, let alone as a 3-stage. Just a gallon of clearcoat with hardener is probably around $150. You’ll probably spend another $150 for sealer, then the base coat is probably at least another $400, and at least another $250 for the mid coat, so we are already almost doubled your budget, and we haven’t bought masking tape, masking paper, sandpaper, cleaning supplies, a spray gun, painting respirator, and a host of other things you will need, and we also haven’t gotten into what is wrong with the paint on the car now that requires a respray, because if you are going this far, I suspect there is fading or peeling paint that will have to be addressed, maybe some body work that needs to be done, you’ll probably need some high build primer as well to smooth out any surfaces that had to be body worked or sanded down to bare metal. You can see this snowballs fast.

So in short, probably best to just drive it as it is. If you must do something, spray it with rustoleum white turbo cans and don’t worry about the jambs, but know that it will probably be faded and chalky within a year.
 
The body shop that did my car said the products to do the paint would be around $3000. Now, that's not to say it will cost that for your materials, as they do much more expensive cars than mine.

I agree with Mikey and think you should drive it as is. Save up for a year or two and then do it.

The other option is wrapping the car. If the hood and roof are the bad parts, maybe do those in black vinyl. That can look decent on white cars.
 
Wow, that's really great info here! I never realized the cost involved with just the tools and materials, not to mention having an appropriate, dust-free, well ventilated space.

I can't remember pictures of your car, @GRWeldon , but I suppose I would leave it as is or maybe fix some isolated blemishes. Wrap sounds like a good idea, though I really like PlastiDip as it's easier to apply than wrap and equally durable. You could attempt a two-tone look, do stripes, maybe match your interior color.
 
35 bux a quart for black is awesome, dude; how's the durability? Have you actually used it for anything?
 
Grog6 said:
Have you actually used it for anything?
Click to expand...

You mean PlastiDip? I have used that on countless exterior parts, though not on the actual body panels. Durability is excellent.
  • Grille blackout on my Crown Vic years ago
  • On the Thunderbird...chrome blackout of the cornering light frames
  • B-pillar black reconditioning (this one sees a lot of hand traffic, and there's no fading at all)
  • Emblem blackout as you see in my profile pic
  • Most recently window molding reconditioning
117_1777.jpg20230922_161650.jpg20230722_182839.jpg20231005_174303.jpg
 
MadMikeyL said:
Ok, there’s quite a bit to address here. Most cars are painted in what is called base-clear, or basecoat clearcoat paint. The way it works is you have one paint which is the color, and any metallic, then you have a clearcoat that goes overtop to give it the shine and the UV protection. This is pretty forgiving when painting because once you have enough paint on there to cover everything, the color doesn’t change with more paint, and if you mess something up, it is easier to fix before the clearcoat is applied, and if you do get a run or sag in the clearcoat, it can usually be fixed with just wet-sanding and buffing, and possibly re-clearing the panel, however it will not require starting over again. Unfortunately, that is not what you have. Your paint code is called a tri-coat or 3-stage paint. That means you have still have the base coat and clear coat, however between them you have another paint that is sort of translucent and has the pearl it in which gives it that deep pearl look. The problem is that how much of the pearl is applied changes the color of the final job, so if you have to repaint any panels, trying to get a color match is very difficult, and even painting the car if you don’t keep your spray pattern ultra-consistent, you will wind up with a splotchy mismatch of how pearlescent different parts of the car look. This is not to say it is inordinately difficult to do, but your first paint job should most definitely NOT be a 3-stage!

As for what paint to use, PPG’s Omni line is a lower end paint that is reasonably priced, but fairly easy to spray and turns out good results. I haven’t sprayed a whole car in some time, so I don’t know what the price would be for everything, but suffice it to say if you can only spend $500 on supplies, then you can’t afford to paint your car at all, let alone as a 3-stage. Just a gallon of clearcoat with hardener is probably around $150. You’ll probably spend another $150 for sealer, then the base coat is probably at least another $400, and at least another $250 for the mid coat, so we are already almost doubled your budget, and we haven’t bought masking tape, masking paper, sandpaper, cleaning supplies, a spray gun, painting respirator, and a host of other things you will need, and we also haven’t gotten into what is wrong with the paint on the car now that requires a respray, because if you are going this far, I suspect there is fading or peeling paint that will have to be addressed, maybe some body work that needs to be done, you’ll probably need some high build primer as well to smooth out any surfaces that had to be body worked or sanded down to bare metal. You can see this snowballs fast.

So in short, probably best to just drive it as it is. If you must do something, spray it with rustoleum white turbo cans and don’t worry about the jambs, but know that it will probably be faded and chalky within a year.
Click to expand...
I must say thank you for your thoughtful reply. There IS a lot of information in your post that you give freely and I appreciate that. I said I haven't painted an entire car but I didn't mean to infer that I don't know anything about it. I do completely understand that the paint I have inquired about is indeed a tri-stage metallic requiring three different components. I also didn't specify if I had any previous paint/body experience, which indeed I do. My cousin is a retired auto-body technician who worked for GM dealerships most of his career. I would be asking his advice however his mental state after years of auto-body chemical exposure doesn't have much cognitive processing ability anymore, in other words, he can't remember squat. I have assisted him in decades past with his personal projects I have sprayed fenders and decklids and such with primer for him, just never color coats and never an entire car. I've used air-boards to flatten body putty and body hammers to bump out dents. What I guess I'm saying that I didn't make clear in my initial post is that I'm not a complete newbie who has never touched a spray gun. In fact, I own several and a respirator or two as well as two 80-gallon air tanks and a compressor that supports them. I will have to buy a DA sander and probably a few other air tools, although I already have a few, just not sanders.

I think I was inquiring about a source where I could get the paint I needed cheaper that the $1600-$1700 that Eastwood wanted. I was hoping someone here knew right away of a place where this might be possible. You seem to indicate in your post that most-likely it's not, in which case I can accept that and will have to search for an alternative that is suitable to me. As far as leaving it like it is, that is something that isn't going to happen. It has oxidized places and some peeling where primer shows and a bit of rust-through on the top and quite frankly, I don't want this car to look like that when others see it.

I think if it came down to using a single-stage, I could find something much more suitable than Rustoleum that wouldn't be faded and chalky within a year. I think telling someone to use Rustoleum to paint a car isn't good advice under most circumstances. That being said, I have used Rustoleum quarts to paint things that have been exposed to the weather for years that have not faded or become chalky, but those were painted with a brush and have a much thicker film coating than most things that are sprayed. It has it's uses but not on an automobile that is anything other than a junker, certainly NOT my 96 Thunderbird.
 
1997ThunderbirdLXV6 said:
You mean PlastiDip? I have used that on countless exterior parts, though not on the actual body panels. Durability is excellent.
  • Grille blackout on my Crown Vic years ago
  • On the Thunderbird...chrome blackout of the cornering light frames
  • B-pillar black reconditioning (this one sees a lot of hand traffic, and there's no fading at all)
  • Emblem blackout as you see in my profile pic
  • Most recently window molding reconditioning
Click to expand...
I think the black reconditioning on the B-pillar looks excellent. I'll have to do that on mine, even though it's currently pearl white!
 
I wouldn’t be so quick to knock the rustoleum. The turbo cans spray like a gun, have a wide spray pattern and lay down a nice thick coat. If I was doing a total budget job just to make something look presentable for a while, that is what I would do. Pretty much any single stage paint is going to fade on you, some faster than others but I wouldn’t count on more than 2 years out of any single-stage white. This can be mitigated with a good wax job after the paint has cured, and keeping up on that, but all single stage will fade. As for where to buy the paint for cheaper, I don’t know where you are or what suppliers are near you, but I suggested the PPG Omni, which someone else suggested as well. I know Norwood Auto Parts sells it by me. I get my stuff from LKQ/Keystone, but I believe you have to have an account with them, I don’t think they just sell it over the counter. I don’t mean to sound harsh, but I know what is involved in painting a whole car, and it sounds like you might be biting off more than you can chew, and a poorly done job is worse than nothing at all because not only does it waste all the material, but you have to spend more time and material stripping it down.

Why don’t you post a few pics of how your car looks now so we can see what the starting condition is, and help you figure out a plan and a budget that will work.
 
I agree with @MadMikeyL : post a few pics to give us an idea what you are trying to accomplish.

From the sound of it, you have expertise as well as equipment on hand. If you're prepared for a full repaint, you should go for it. But...then honestly I would change colors. The pearl color in my personal taste is really quite dated; it was a fashionable, upscale color back then, a bit like those primer-esque greys we see nowadays. I know that would add the complication of painting the door jambs, but you deduct the complication of the 3-stage.
 
1997ThunderbirdLXV6 said:
I agree with @MadMikeyL : post a few pics to give us an idea what you are trying to accomplish.

From the sound of it, you have expertise as well as equipment on hand. If you're prepared for a full repaint, you should go for it. But...then honestly I would change colors. The pearl color in my personal taste is really quite dated; it was a fashionable, upscale color back then, a bit like those primer-esque greys we see nowadays. I know that would add the complication of painting the door jambs, but you deduct the complication of the 3-stage.
Click to expand...
Honestly, I was looking at it out the window and I was thinking that even when clean. It looks like it's a bit dirty and I was thinking that I might change the color. Straight white might be easiest but I already have several white cars including my SC. The interior is gray and I've always liked a medium-dark blue metallic.

Paint may have to wait a little longer. I've got a disappearing oil issue I'll have to solve. More on that in a different post.

As to what Mad Mikey said about biting off a bit more than I can chew. May be true but I don't back away from a lot of things and I usually do a respectable job, hardly ever perfect. In this case, if I can manage respectable, that will be good enough!

Thanks for all your replies!
 
I think there are simple 2 stage metallic whites as well, that’s an option I consider if I ever decided to repaint mine(also WR pearl), I wouldn’t feel too bad if the jams and underhood aren’t a perfect match since they kind of aren’t from the factory anyway.

There’s a million shades of plain white too, Wimbledon has a little cream color to it and from a distance resembles the overall shade of the pearl white.
 
So after doing way more reading than I usually like to do, I think I've found an option that closely resembles the color of Performance White Pearl Metallic (WR).

Ford Wimbeldon White is a classic not pure white color that comes close to matching the color component of pearl without the pearl component, allowing the original WR paint to not be as noticeable if I didn't paint all the door jambs, under deck lids and the like. I can get a catalyzed Urethane single-stage gallon (when mixed) from Eastwood for about $200 including hardener and reducer. I'm thinking I would need to prime the entire car after smoothing out the old oxidized paint. That would be another $175 for a total of $375. Add $125 for supplies for a grand total of $500. This is much more in-line with what my budget can afford.

Opinions?
 
GRWeldon said:
So after doing way more reading than I usually like to do, I think I've found an option that closely resembles the color of Performance White Pearl Metallic (WR).

Ford Wimbeldon White is a classic not pure white color that comes close to matching the color component of pearl without the pearl component, allowing the original WR paint to not be as noticeable if I didn't paint all the door jambs, under deck lids and the like. I can get a catalyzed Urethane single-stage gallon (when mixed) from Eastwood for about $200 including hardener and reducer. I'm thinking I would need to prime the entire car after smoothing out the old oxidized paint. That would be another $175 for a total of $375. Add $125 for supplies for a grand total of $500. This is much more in-line with what my budget can afford.

Opinions?
Click to expand...
I'd look for a 2 stage pearl white close to WR.
 
Boston-Bull said:
Having the truck painted this summer, My painter gets his colors from here I have also used in the past great service.
AutomotiveTouchup
Click to expand...

I picked up a couple touchup paint pens for the T-bird from these guys many years ago - not long after I had it repainted. I stumbled across them (naturally while looking for something else) and finally used them to fix a chip on the hood a few weeks ago; it's a really good match.
 
GRWeldon said:
So after doing way more reading than I usually like to do, I think I've found an option that closely resembles the color of Performance White Pearl Metallic (WR).

Ford Wimbeldon White is a classic not pure white color that comes close to matching the color component of pearl without the pearl component, allowing the original WR paint to not be as noticeable if I didn't paint all the door jambs, under deck lids and the like. I can get a catalyzed Urethane single-stage gallon (when mixed) from Eastwood for about $200 including hardener and reducer. I'm thinking I would need to prime the entire car after smoothing out the old oxidized paint. That would be another $175 for a total of $375. Add $125 for supplies for a grand total of $500. This is much more in-line with what my budget can afford.

Opinions?
Click to expand...


XR7-4.6 said:
There’s a million shades of plain white too, Wimbledon has a little cream color to it and from a distance resembles the overall shade of the pearl white.
Click to expand...

:innocent:
 
XR7-4.6 said:
for reference here’s my WR Cougar behind @97 30th s pure white 97. Wimbledon definitely resembles it from a distanceView attachment 5171
Click to expand...
My Clear coat is so deteriorated that my WR paint looks a bit more yellow. Thanks for the pic. Too bad my bird's finish isn't nicer. I think your WR Cougar looks good. My SC is Champion white. There's a big difference.
 
GRWeldon said:
My Clear coat is so deteriorated that my WR paint looks a bit more yellow. Thanks for the pic. Too bad my bird's finish isn't nicer. I think your WR Cougar looks good. My SC is Champion white. There's a big difference.
Click to expand...

Thanks! It’s admittedly a bit of a 5-10 footer in person but white is very forgiving.

I’ve seen that yellowing happen to other WR cars, under the hood of mine is very yellow compared to the exterior since only the base/pearl stages were sprayed at the factory there, not the clear. Heat without the clearcoat barrier must do it in

IMG_4600.jpeg
 
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